Easy Homemade Bagel Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What flour is best for bagels? ›

Bread flour – Because of its high protein content, bread flour makes these homemade bagels delightfully chewy. This recipe also works with all-purpose flour, they're just a bit less chewy than bagels made with bread flour.

Is it cheaper to make your own bagels? Yes! It is so much cheaper to make your own breads at home, especially bagels! The ingredients (flour, water, yeast, sugar, honey, and eggs) are pretty cheap to buy compared to the price of premade bagels.

Opinions on what make for an “ideal” bagel vary of course, but to my mind the best ones have a plump, rounded exterior and a fine crumb structure, with a balanced chewy-yet-tender texture.

When too much flour is kneaded in, bagels become dense, hard and tough, instead of crisp and chewy. It can easily take 10 minutes of mixing and kneading before the right texture and gluten strength is achieved. This is what the inside of a well-made bagel should look like.

Salt – You need some salt to bring out all the flavors, otherwise your bagels will taste bland. Baking soda – Don't substitute it with baking powder. This is for dipping the bagels into boiling water with baking soda to give them that nice shiny brown crust and their distinctive flavor.

Both bagels and bread contain yeast, flour, water, and sugar. However, many bagel recipes use barley malt syrup, a grain-based sweetener, instead of granulated sugar. Bagels also generally contain less water and more flour compared to other bread types, which is why bagels are denser than typical slices of bread.

Bake the bagels.

Bake the bagels for 12 minutes. Flip the bagels so that they are bottom-side up (this helps them maintain their shape). Bake until they are deep golden-brown, 8 to 12 minutes more.

If your dough is too tacky, lightly dust the counter with the baking mix or flour. Gently roll and lightly knead the dough, adding more mix or flour as needed. You'll know it's ready when it's soft and slightly sticky, but no longer tacky. It's okay to let it sit another 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Swapping in ½ cup of whole-wheat flour for ½ cup of the bread flour will make the bagels slightly less chewy but will also give them a boost of flavor.

How do you make bagels fluffy again? ›

The microwave is a quick solution for many kitchen tasks. To help soften a hard bagel, simply wrap it in a moist paper towel and microwave it for 15 seconds. You can also set the bagel on a microwave-safe plate, then surround it with a few water drops or lightly mist it and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Using unbleached vs. bleached flour makes no difference in recipes. However, baked goods made with bleached flour contain proteins that have been altered, which helps in forming gluten bonds when baking.

Much like a specific vineyard terroir is used to make a wine, certain minerals in New York City tap water are attributed to creating the best bagels. These include low concentrations of calcium and magnesium and a high level of sediment.

Bread flour – The higher protein level in bread flour helps to create that chewy texture that makes bagels so delightful. It's worth the trip to the grocery store to pick some up. You can use all-purpose flour if you absolutely must, but the texture will suffer.

This is because the higher protein content of bread flour will help you create the high rise and rustic crust of an artisan style loaf. If, however, you're looking to bake a super soft brioche, you'll need to use a bread flour in the lower protein range.